CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- Recently, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic of China announced the list of national industrial tourism demonstration bases for 2023. The reporter learned from Chongqing Municipal Culture and Tourism Development Commission that among the 69 sites selected, Chongqing has 2 sites in total, namely, the 816 Project Tourist Attraction and Chongqing Industrial Culture Expo Park.

What is their charm? Let’s find out.

816 Project Tourist Attraction

In April 2010, the Project was open to the public as a tourism product for the first time. From “nuclear” to “peace”, the 816 Project has achieved a great transformation from industry to tourism development, becoming a window for tourists to learn the history of nuclear industry and three-line construction. From a project open to the public in its original form to a national industrial tourism demonstration base built, the 816 Project has become one of the typical examples of the three-line construction industrial sites that have been transformed for development in China. From January to September in 2023, the number of the visitors received by 816 Project exceeded 600,000 in total.

In 2009, the project site was selected in the List of Chongqing Municipal Historical and Cultural Site; in 2017, it was included in the List of Chinese Architectural Heritage of 20th Century; in 2018, it was selected in the National Industrial Heritage List (first batch); in 2019, it was rated as a national AAAA tourist attraction; in 2023, it was rated as the National Scientist Spirit Education Base, Chongqing Confidentiality Education Demonstration Base, and one of the second batch of Chongqing National Defense Education Bases; and it was included in the public list of National Industrial Tourism Demonstration Bases in October of the same year. The current open route of the 816 Project covers 11 locations centered around nuclear reactors, with the area for carrying out industrial tourism activities of 30,000 square meters.

Chongqing Industrial Culture Expo Park

Chongqing has a profound historical background in industry and rich industrial cultural resources. In 2010, in order to record the industrial history of Chongqing and enrich its cultural connotations, Chongqing municipal government, by taking the opportunity of relocating the former Chongqing Iron & Steel Section Steel Plant in Dadukou District in an environmentally-friendly manner, and actively using industrial relics, built Chongqing Industrial Museum. In 2019, with the Industrial Museum as the core, integrating surrounding resources, Chongqing built a theme scene style pan museum system with innovation and creativity as the core, featuring the interactive experience. At present, this place has become a national AAAA tourist attraction.

It is reported that Chongqing Industrial Museum is composed of the "Centennial Glory" main pavilion, the "Steel Soul" theme pavilion, and the Industrial Heritage Park. Among them, the "Steel Soul Pavilion" and the main pavilion, by showing the history of iron plant’s relocation to the west and Chongqing's industrial development, allows tourists to engage in dialogue with time and space across the river of history, to arouse their patriotic feelings, and promote the continuation of the red spirit. Since its opening, the museum has made active use of cultural connotations and heritage resources, integrated cultural creation and cultural tourism to give full play to multiple urban functions, and to change the "rust ribbon" into a vibrant "gorgeous ribbon". (Translated by Hu Chuanmin, Fathom Language Limited)